Apology
by Kitty O
Summary: If there was an awkward genre, this would be it. Arthur apologizes to Merlin after Goblin's Gold, and finds that Merlin is not upset about the arrest in the least... or is he? Oneshot, not slash.


_A/N: One shot set after Goblin's gold. I couldn't help myself. Everyone kept saying how broken-hearted they were by Merlin's arrest, but I didn't think it was such a big deal. I mean, by now you would think Merlin would be expecting it. Besides, Arthur couldn't very well warn Merlin with two guards behind him, could he? I didn't think that Merlin would be all that hurt (after all, he looked fine in the episode). Actually, I thought that it was just too funny. Sense of humor wins over drama, and Arthur says the most awkward apology ever before heard in Camelot. Enjoy and review! Please tell me if you catch any mistakes._

Arthur walked into the room as though it didn't belong to him, as though he was a bad, bad puppy dog crawling back to its master. He felt so awful, so embarrassed… What was Merlin going to say? Would he forgive the prince? Or would he be too angry? Arthur honestly did not know, but he knew he'd probably deserve whatever he got…

He walked into his room, watching silently for a moment as Merlin finished pulling the covers back from his bed and picking up the last things on the floor.

Merlin did not look at the prince (_though he must know I'm here,_ Arthur thought). For a few more seconds Arthur was silent, collecting himself, and then he spoke the servant's name.

"Merlin."

Merlin turned around and looked and Arthur, smiling a little. "Ready for bed?"

Arthur just looked at him.

"I'm sure, after a day like today, we all need sleep." _Was that a pointed remark? _Arthur wondered.

His nerve deserting him, Arthur nodded. "I am."

Merlin nodded in return. "It's cold tonight; want me to build up the fire?"

"Ummmm…" Arthur bit his lip, the words Merlin spoke seeming to blur. Arthur was trying to look past them, trying to see if they held a double meaning, but it all seemed to become gibberish.

"Arthur?" Merlin looked confused, his dark eyebrows drawing together over his pale face.

"Yes," said Arthur.

Merlin nodded, gave him a funny look, and bent over the fire.

Arthur sighed, his mind spinning. _See, it isn't necessary. He's not mad; there's no yelling. Still, maybe he's hiding it. He's good at that. But then, maybe he really isn't angry… Wait, of course he's angry! Who wouldn't be? But maybe he'll stop being angry if I say nothing. _

_Or maybe I'll spend the next few years wondering if every word from his mouth has a second meaning. _

Arthur opened his mouth… and closed it. _This is ridiculous. I'm a man; it's time I start acting like one. _But Arthur still felt shaky. He was about to do two things he usually avoided at all costs: humble himself and admit he had feelings.

Scary, scary thought.

"Merlin," he said at last, clearing his throat.

Merlin looked at him again, but still Arthur said nothing.

Both irritated and concerned, Merlin finally burst out: "What's wrong with you, Arthur?"

_Arthur? He said Arthur, not Sire, surely that means he isn't angry…_

"I'm sorry," he finally said, but his voice was so low that even he could not hear it.

"What?"

"I said," Arthur cleared his throat, "That I'm sorry."

Merlin stared, and suddenly he began to look panicked. "What did you do?"

Silence. There was silence, Arthur looking bewildered and Merlin horrified. It stretched on for a full minute before Merlin could no longer contain himself.

"What did you do? Am I fired? In trouble? Are we going on another hunting trip? Arthur… if you ruined my blue neckerchief I'll never forgive you…"

"I…" What did Merlin think he was playing at? Was he covering up? "I arrested you…"

"I'm under arrest? But…" Merlin looked particularly stupid right now, head tilted, mouth parted in confusion.

"Not now, no. I mean…"

"Oh!" Merlin looked relieved, breathing out a huge sigh. "You mean…"

"Yeah. I'm really sorry, I… I know you aren't a sorcerer…"

Merlin looked a little amused. "Thanks."

"But I know I betrayed your trust…" The words would barely come out. Arthur had to force the words past his unwilling lips, even though he would rather crawl up somewhere and die. Merlin deserved an apology. "…and I'm sorry. I hope that you can, you know…"

Humiliated, he rubbed his hand against his blonde hair, trying to think of the next words, knowing what they had to be. He was almost blushing. Finding his legs did not want to support him, he made his way over to his bed and sat down on it, still facing Merlin.

Looking at the ground, Arthur continued, "I hope you can forgive me…"

"Arthur."

"Even though I know that—"

"Arthur, stop."

He stopped, looking up into his manservant's face. Merlin was smiling awkwardly.

"You… don't need to go into this," said Merlin, beginning to grin. "I get it. I forgive you."

He did? Really, truly? "But…" It wasn't like him to stop Arthur from embarrassing himself. Usually he just stood back and laughed.

"Honestly, I do. It wasn't your fault that I was accused of sorcery, was it?"

"No, but I arrested you."

"You are the Prince of Camelot. You have a duty to your country and your king."

Merlin was defending him while he tried to accuse himself. This was unusual. This was strange.

"But…"

"It isn't like it's the first time you've arrested me, Sire," said Merlin, and this time there was no question about it: that was a pointed remark. "And you didn't truly believe I was lying. You faced the goblin, didn't you?"

"That didn't help much," said the blushing Arthur. He honestly could not understand why a hole wouldn't just open in the floor and swallow him whole. Groaning, he continued the worst conversation he could remember having in a long time. His eyes would not leave the ground.

Merlin shrugged, trying not to snigger. "It's the thought that counts. Besides, if I harbored any ill feelings about the whole episode…" (At this point he couldn't help himself and began to chuckle while Arthur glared at him) "Then I would've forgiven you after the… the… ears." He bit his lip, trying not to die laughing.

Arthur did not think it was funny _in the least_. "Stop laughing," he growled.

"Then you stop blaming yourself," commanded the dark-haired young man. "It wasn't like it was your fault. It's Gaius, or at least you thought it was." Merlin shrugged. "Let's just be glad it's over."

Arthur nodded, the tight knot in his stomach beginning to listen. Merlin forgave him. Suddenly a question popped into his head. "Merlin?"

"Yes?"

"How _exactly_ did you escape?"

Merlin turned his head to the side. "How about we just forget the whole thing… donkey ears and all?"

Now, Arthur was pretty sure that was blackmail, but he was frankly too relieved to care. Everything would be okay. "It's forgotten. Goodnight, Merlin."

And he turned and walked out.

"Sire!" called the manservant, and Arthur turned back, looking at him expectantly.

"Um. It's your room, Sire."

"Right! Right. I knew that. You're dismissed, Merlin."

And Merlin left, trying to smother his laughter until he was out of earshot. Oh, it would be a while before he forgot Arthur's humble apology!

Arthur lay back in his bed, groaning. Now he would attempt to forget the whole thing ever happened. The donkey ears, the arrest, the apology, the donkey ears, the look on Merlin's face, the donkey ears… and his stupidity. How could he ever believe, even for the barest, slimmest of moments, that Merlin was a sorcerer?_ Merlin?_ The boy was… well, maybe not an idiot. But he sure acted like one.

Merlin had to stop on his way to the physician's chambers and sit down, putting his head in his hands. It was just too much. All of it was just too much for him. All the laughter and the worry and the pain of the past few days had finally made him a little bit crazy, and now all he could do was grin. Arthur apologized. Merlin felt distantly bad for letting Arthur say he was sorry for thinking Merlin was magic… because, after all, Merlin _was _magic.

Merlin didn't feel bad enough to remove the rest of the goblin's spell, though. Arthur with a donkey laugh was just too good.


End file.
